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In ancient India, one language arose before all others. With it, the Rishis first wrote down the beautiful poetry and profound knowledge of the Vedas, capturing the wisdom created along with the universe.
The language they used was Sanskrit. People have been speaking and writing in Sanskrit for 3,500 years at least, and it is the chief liturgical language of Hinduism. It survives today, providing a powerful connection to the past and the best way for seekers to understand the full scope of India’s wisdom traditions.
The myth of its origins is an important way to understand just how important Sanskrit is, and why it has such a special place in the hearts of billions around the world. Lord Shiva, while in his dance and playing his damaru drum, created the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.
Each letter emerged with a beat of the drum, arriving fully formed into this world. This is in part why Sanskrit is also known as devavani, or language of the gods.
There is another reason why many Hindus believe Sanskrit to be not from human creation: the language is deeply systematic and survives in an impeccably unchanged form compared to our earliest known written records of it.
The grammarian Pāṇini wrote down the rules and ways of this magnificent language about 2,500 years ago, and the sutras he composed remain relevant and accurate to this day.
For these reasons, not to mention the inherent beauty and poetry available through the language, people on every continent continue to study Sanskrit today. Many devout Hindus wish to read the Vedas and the wisdom of the mantra seers in the language they were composed in, not in translation.
That is why Exotic India makes available this impressive collection of books in Sanskrit. Here, you can begin to build your library of texts in the language of the gods.
FAQs
Q1. What is the secret book of Hindus?
The most important and well-known book in Sanatan Dharma is the Bhagwat Geeta. It is also known as “Gitopanishad'' as it is considered the essence of all Vedic knowledge.
The speaker of the Bhagavad Gita is Lord Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself and therefore, it has been highly recommended by great acharyas such as Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Nimbarka Swami, Madhvacharya, and many others. Every word of the Gita has the potency to transform anyone’s heart who reads and understands it in a submissive and inquisitive attitude.
Q2. Who are the 3 most important Hindu Gods?
The three most important deities in Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma are Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, and Lord Brahma (known as the “Trinity” or “Trimurti”). According to the Vedic injunctions, these three deities are responsible for the creation, maintenance, and annihilation of the entire material universe.
Lord Brahma, the first created living entity within the universe, is the presiding deity of the mode of passion (Rajo or Rajas Guna) and therefore creates the material world. Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, is the ruler of the mode of goodness (Sattva Guna) and maintains and controls the universe. Lord Shiva rules over the mode of ignorance (Tamo Guna) and destroys the universe when the cycle of four Yugas come to end.
Q3. What is the oldest book?
Rig Veda is considered to be the oldest book which is one of the four sacred Vedic Scriptures known as the Vedas. The meaning of the word “Veda” is “complete knowledge, both material and spiritual”. The Rig Veda is a collection of 10 books known as Mandalas that constitute 1028 hymns in the Sanskrit language. These hymns discuss the Vedic rituals, rites, and cosmology, and also praise the deities.
Q4. What is the most important Hindu book?
Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma is full of spiritual knowledge that comes to us through divine Scriptures. These scriptures provide us with the knowledge and science of God. Out of all the Vedic literature, Srimad Bhagavad Gita is considered the most important book.
It is a part of the Mahabharata that presents the divine conversation between the Supreme Lord Krishna and His friend and devotee Arjun. The Bhagavad Gita is known as the manual of life and the essence of all Vedic knowledge. Whoever tries to understand it and follows the instructions of Lord Krishna is immediately elevated to the spiritual platform.
Q5. What are the benefits of reading Sanskrit?
The neuroscientist Dr. James Hartzell in the journal Scientific American has written that memorizing Vedic mantras increases the size of brain regions associated with a cognitive function such as memory (both short-term and long-term). He writes in his report that Indian tradition holds that rigorously memorizing and reciting mantras enhances memory and thinking.
To test this idea, Hartzell (and his colleagues from the University of Trento in Italy) teamed up with Dr. Tanmay Nath and Dr. Nandini Chatterjee Singh of the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) at Manesar in Haryana. They chose to study professionally qualified Sanskrit Pandits who have been trained full-time daily for 7 years (total of over 10,000 hrs) in their childhood reciting the Shukla Yajurveda.
Q6. Why is Sanskrit language important?
Sanskrit is vital to Indian culture because of its extensive use in religious literature, primarily in Hinduism most modern Indian languages have been directly derived from, or strongly influenced by, Sanskrit. Besides this, Sanskrit constitutes ideal preparation for those interested in learning Greek and Latin. This is because these Western classical languages share not only the grammatical structure but also numerous cognate words with Sanskrit.
If one attempts to understand India and its rich cultural heritage, and it's knowledge, then one has to follow Sanskrit. Since all ancient texts and scriptures are written in this language form. It has also been revealed that Sanskrit is the language of the future, for it is touted to be most suited for computers.
Q7. Why is Sanskrit important for students?
Knowledge of Sanskrit is highly respected by the academic community. It often forms a point of interest and admiration when students with Sanskrit qualifications are interviewed for university admission. Mastering the intricacies of Sanskrit grammar brings with it a great insight into language structures in general.
By studying Sanskrit, other languages can be learned more easily. The Sanskrit language has the largest vocabulary - 102 arab 78 crores 50 lakh words have been used till now in Sanskrit. There are over a hundred synonyms for the word ‘elephant’ and while English has only one word for ‘love’, Sanskrit has a whopping ninety-six! Sanskrit is a treasure trove of synonyms. The Sanskrit grammar is reflected in part in Irish or Greek, Latin, or English.
Q8. What are the basics of Sanskrit?
For beginners, Sanskrit is one of the few languages in the world where words and sentence formation are extremely simple, and you can learn it easily.
Sanskrit verbs can be cross-linked in one of three ways: first, second, or third person.
There are three numerical forms for verbs: singular, dual, and plural.
There are ten tenses and three voices for verbs: active, middle, and passive.
They are eight: nominative, vocative, accusative, dative, ablative, genitive, locative and instrumental
Three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter
This vast distribution of words makes Sanskrit applications very specific and formulating.
Five Simple Sanskrit Words To Integrate In a Spiritual Practice: Santosha (संतोष), Upekṣā (उपेक्षा), Śrāddha (श्रद्धा), Bhāvanā (भावना), Satya (सत्य).
Q9. What is a book called in Sanskrit?
Book पुस्तकं (Pustakaṁ); पुस्तकी (Pustakī); ग्रन्थः (Granthaḥ); pustaka (books), pustaka (the books), पत्रं (Patraṁ); पत्रिका (Patrikā), पुस्तं (Pustaṁ); पुस्ती (Pusti), पुस्तकानि (pustakani), चित्रकथापुस्तक Chitrakathapustaka(comicbook), धनादेशपुस्तिका dhanAdeshapustika (chequebook), अङ्कीयग्रन्थ a GkIyagrantha (e-book-computer), ई-ग्रन्थ I-grantha (e-book-computer), pratipustaka (a copy of an original manuscript); prayogapustaka mn (Name of work).
For usefulness and ease for people who don’t understand the Devnagiri script, this above list is the translation in Sanskrit of a book as a common connotation to any kind of book.
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